The Butler men’s tennis team completed its regular season schedule with a 5-2 loss to Cleveland State.

The match was played at Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers.

Sophomore Sam O’Neill won the No. 3 singles match two sets to one.

Sophomore Billy Weldon was victorious in his No. 5 singles match, winning in straight sets.

The men’s team ended its regular season with a record of 9-12.

The Bulldogs begin postseason play in the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships Friday in Mason, Ohio.

No. 9 seed Butler will play No. 8 Saint Joseph’s at noon Thursday.

The No. 13-seeded Butler women’s tennis team finished its season with a 4-0 loss to No. 4 Richmond in the first round of the A-10 Championships in Charlottesville, Va.

Senior Brittany Farmer and junior Caroline Hedrick won the No. 1 doubles match 8-6.

Hedrick was named the squad’s most valuable player yesterday.

The women’s team finished its season with a record of 4-17.

In March 2012, the Butler community was wondering if the school would move to the Atlantic 10 Conference and, if so, when it would occur.

Butler officials did not keep students, faculty, staff and other supporters waiting long when another opportunity to change athletic conferences came about this year.

Butler President James Danko announced Butler’s acceptance of an invitation to the new Big East via a pre-recorded video yesterday.

Butler will officially become a conference member July 1.

The clip was played before a small, but excited crowd of Butler community members mixed with Indianapolis media members.

“Today, a new chapter is written (in Butler history),” Danko said. “This unprecedented opportunity will match Butler with a group of schools that represent an ideal fit for our university, both academically and athletically.”

Viewers were then treated to a live look-in of the Big East’s press conference in New York City, where Danko and Barry Collier, Butler vice president of athletics, were present.

Danko was the first of 10 school presidents introduced by sports commentator Gus Johnson prior to the start of the press conference.

In addition to Danko and the presidents of the ‘Catholic 7’ schools from the current Big East, Xavier University and Creighton University’s presidents were also present at the conference, signaling the schools’ decision to join the new Big East as well.

Providence College President Father Brian Shanley said he and the other Catholic 7 presidents were thrilled to offer invitations to Butler, Xavier and Creighton.

“You have great academic traditions, you have great leadership in your athletic departments in your commitment to student-athletes, and you play some really good basketball,” Shanley said of the three invitees.

Xavier, like Butler, will be departing from the A-10. Creighton will be coming over from the Missouri Valley Conference.

Butler is the only university in the 10-school conference that is not recognized as a Catholic school. Shanley said the Big East was never intended to be an all-Catholic conference, joking that Butler was not invited to join because it would be the “token non-Catholic school.”

Butler is departing the A-10 after a single academic year in the conference. The university will remain part of the conference through the rest of the 2012-13 school year.

Media reports have suggested Butler could have to pay as much as $2 million to the A-10 as an exit fee.

Danko said in a conference call that Butler has submitted a letter stating its intentions to the A-10 and that the school will now enter into a legal settlement with A-10 officials to discuss an exit fee.

The idea of staying in the A-10 for another year before switching athletic conferences yet again was something Danko said he and other Butler officials definitely thought about before accepting the Big East’s invite.

“The downside of waiting another year is that you’re not sure the opportunity is going to be there in a year,” Danko said. “It was such a compelling opportunity for us. You consider it, and you weigh the costs and benefits.”

Danko did not say when Butler was first contacted about potentially joining the Big East. However, Creighton President Father Timothy Lannon said he was first contacted Feb. 27 and that Creighton was officially given an invite on March 13.

An enticing benefit for any school considering joining the new Big East was FOX Sports 1 offering the conference a large television deal.

Georgetown President Dr. John DeGioia said during the press conference that the proposed 12-year, $500 million deal had been accepted by the new Big East schools. Randy Freer, FOX Sports co-president and COO, said the deal extends beyond covering men’s basketball, adding that FOX Sports 1 looks forward to covering such sports as women’s basketball, lacrosse and baseball.

“Despite the many successes we have achieved in such a short amount of time, we still have a great deal of work to do in this coming year,” DeGioia said.

One thing conference members must decide on is a commissioner. DeGioia said the Big East will receive assistance from Russell Reynolds Associates, a senior executive search firm, in finding a new commissioner.

The Big East will also receive the services of Dan Beebe, former Ohio Valley Conference and Big 12 Conference commissioner. DeGioia said Beebe will work with athletic directors to help ensure all new Big East schools are prepared for fall athletic competition later this year.

DeGioia said that, while negotiations amongst member universities are ongoing, the Big East expects to continue sponsoring all of the sports it currently does. He said the Big East may have to recruit and accept associate members for some sports, such as rowing, lacrosse and field hockey.

Butler’s men’s lacrosse club team has proven fairly popular on campus in recent years despite being dropped as a school-sponsored sport in 2007.

The Big East will consist of 10 schools for the next academic year, but Shanley did not rule out the possibility of more schools being invited down the line.

“For now, we’re very happy at 10 and we’ll see what happens going forward,” Shanley said. “We’ve discussed actively a number of schools that are really strong potential partners for us. We also believe the landscape of college sports has not stopped morphing.”

Danko said observers have to remember that, while extra revenue will be coming in to the university as a result of the move, the university’s expenses will also grow.

As reported in “After one season in the Atlantic 10, is Butler packing up and moving on?” in The Collegian’s March 6 issue, Butler’s 2011-12 athletic budget of $14.7 million was less than half the athletic budgets at three Big East schools.

“We realize our budget relative to some of the other schools is not at the same level,” Danko said. “It’s a matter of trying to be very disciplined about how we allocate our resources, having many internal conversations with our CFO and our athletic department and with our trustees.”

Come July, Butler will be part of a basketball-centric, student-centered conference, Shanley said.

“What we celebrate today and relaunch today is the work of (first-ever Big East commissioner) Dave Gavitt,” Shanley said. “If we didn’t get together and form a conference that was basketball-centric, that was located in the best media markets, that played at the highest level, we would be left behind.”

Coming into this school year, the Butler men’s basketball team likely knew the Atlantic 10 Conference would feature a significant increase in competition from the Horizon League.

This has been confirmed by the appearance of five A-10 teams in this year’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament bracket.

Some outside of Indianapolis may be wondering how the four A-10 squads that aren’t Butler made it to the Big Dance.

Here’s our breakdown of how those teams managed to secure bids into the tournament.

SAINT LOUIS BILLIKENS (27-6, 13-3 A-10) MIDWEST NO. 4 SEED

The Billikens rode an emotional wave, caused by the death of former coach Rick Majerus in December, to an A-10 regular season title, an A-10 tournament championship victory and a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Saint Louis started its season 3-3 before winning 24 of its next 27 games—the first of those wins coming the day after Majerus’ death.

The Billikens stampeded through their conference schedule and the A-10 tournament, dispatching Butler three times and VCU twice.

Credit has to be given to interim head coach Jim Crews, who has obviously motivated the men to jump into high gear after a slow start.

The Billikens know how to score when necessary, but they’ve truly thrived on strong defense. The squad was the only team in the A-10 to hold opponents to less than 60 points per game (58.1).

Junior forward Dwayne Evans, with 13.7 points per game, leads a cast of five Billikens who each averages more than nine points per contest. Evans is also the sixth-best rebounder in the A-10, averaging nearly eight per game.

Saint Louis has proven it can frustrate most any opponent by forcing poor shots from outside the paint. This was a key reason Butler didn’t hit the 60-point mark against the Billikens last week.

VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH RAMS (26-8, 12-4 A-10) SOUTH NO. 5 SEED

VCU turned many heads during the 2011 tournament by advancing to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed.

The Rams had to win a play-in game to even earn that seed.

This season, it is unlikely the Rams are sneaking up on anyone.

Shaka Smart’s group finished the season with 26 victories against eight losses. Only one of those losses came to a team outside the tournament field (Richmond).

There were two key reasons the Rams were successful prior to the tournament: strong offensive output and the ability to force turnovers.
VCU has four players who average more than 10 points per game. Sophomore guard Treveon Graham leads the charge with 15.5 points per game.

Senior guard Troy Daniels has contributed a league-leading 118 3-point baskets to VCU’s offense.

The squad scores more than 77 points per game. In short, it will be a force to reckon with for tournament opponents on the offensive end.

The Rams also have two players in the top three of the A-10’s steals list. Forcing turnovers is a big reason for VCU’s success on defense and just as big a reason the team earned a No. 5 seed in the tournament.

TEMPLE OWLS (23-9, 11-5 A-10) EAST NO. 9 SEED

One of four teams in Butler’s part of the bracket that the Bulldogs have faced this season, Temple rode a hot finish to a No. 9 seed.

The Owls ripped off seven consecutive victories before falling to Massachusetts in the A-10 tournament.

Wins over then-No. 3 Syracuse, Saint Louis and Villanova, as well as a close loss to Kansas, helped bolster Temple’s tournament résumé.

Senior guard Khalif Wyatt has been tearing opponents apart offensively. He averages just shy of 20 points per game, tops in the A-10.

He sits in the top 15 of four individual statistical categories within the A-10.

Senior forward Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson and sophomore forward Anthony Lee will grab a decent number of rebounds per game too.

A key Owl who has stayed out of the spotlight most of the season is senior guard Scootie Randall. But he could be key to any run Temple makes in the tournament.

Randall will be a go-to player for Temple’s offense. He averages 11.8 points per game and the most minutes per contest of all the Owls.

Temple can get scoring from a couple different sources, but they usually need Wyatt and either Hollis-Jefferson or Lee to play well to succeed.

LA SALLE EXPLORERS (21-9, 11-5 A-10) WEST NO. 13* SEED

*La Salle must win a play-in game to earn the seed.

The Explorers snuck into the tournament bracket thanks to some key wins both in and outside A-10 play.

La Salle topped tournament entrants Villanova and Iona, as well as Butler and VCU in back-to-back contests.

A 13-2 home record factored into much of La Salle’s success, but it had just one game on a neutral court this season. The team’s road and neutral court records combined are a not-so-sterling eight wins versus seven losses.

The Explorers have numerous players who can produce a lot of points.

Senior guard Ramon Galloway and junior guard Tyreek Duren both average more than 15 points per game.

This team is capable of pulling out quality wins, but the roster doesn’t have much tournament experience and is capable of being shut down offensively.

In spite of this, an opponent cannot simply defeat La Salle by limiting top scorer Galloway. Butler held Galloway to six points during a regular season game and still lost.

Defensively, La Salle allows 66 points per game. Where the Explorers have really succeeded on defense is the area beyond the arc, as opponents are shooting less than 30 percent from 3-point range.

Despite several media reports and anonymous sources saying that the university will change athletic conferences, officials are mum.

Butler University is one of five institutions rumored to be moving to the reorganized Big East.

A new move could mean more media exposure, less travel time, new competition and a larger athletics department budget.

Butler—along with fellow Atlantic 10 member Conference Xavier—is a heavy favorite that could join the conference as soon as 2013-14, according to media outlets, including ESPN, the Associated Press and USA Today.

A group of schools, collectively known as the Catholic 7, will begin their new league July 1.

BUTLER’S ROLE

Butler has not issued an official statement to address any conference switch.

President Jim Danko wrote in an email to The Butler Collegian that most of the media reports have been based on speculation.

“Obviously the media continues to speculate about how the splintering of the Big East will play out, but so far, most of what I have read has only been based on speculation,” Danko wrote. “It is flattering that Butler is receiving such positive attention since it is an indication of the respect others have for Butler’s approach to athletics and academics.”

Danko also said Butler has been “extremely pleased with the A-10, as this has proven to be a truly exciting season, as we have had the opportunity to compete with many outstanding basketball teams.”

Both Athletic Director Barry Collier and Sports Information Director Jim McGrath declined to comment.

Danko’s Chief of Staff Ben Hunter also declined to comment.

Atlantic 10 Commissioner Bernadette McGlade told reporters no schools had given a notice of withdrawal before the Butler-VCU game Saturday.

“I’m just like every other conference commissioner,” McGlade said. “We try to stay focused on our realignment concerns as we can be, but by the end of the day, institutions will still make the decision about what conference they affiliate with.”

The A-10 could lose four teams by 2014-2015 if ESPN and AP reports are correct. Dayton and Saint Louis are expected to join the Big East in the 2014-2015 season.

Rumors surfaced about Butler’s possible move from the A-10 after less than six months in the conference.

In December 2012, The Butler Collegian reported that Danko neither confirmed nor denied any of the speculation about a conference switch.
On Dec. 17, Danko sent out an email to the university community.

“In terms of the announcement by the Catholic 7 schools to separate from the Big East, I greatly respect—and agree with—their collective conviction that, if they do not control their own destiny, someone else will,” Danko wrote. “Butler, too, has controlled its destiny proactively, for example, when it made the decision to join the excellent Atlantic 10 Conference.”

THE SPLIT

At the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year, there were 16 teams in the Big East, with Temple contributing football.

Soon it will be official that seven of those schools, known as the “Catholic 7,” will depart from the current Big East to create their own league, taking the naming rights with them.

The Big East conference was established on May 31, 1979, and is typically characterized as a football conference in the media.

The seven teams leaving are better known for their basketball teams’ successes.

The schools made the announcement in December that they would be leaving the conference, and there have been negotiations and discussions ever since.

Despite all seven being Catholic institutions, the group is opening up its new league to non-denominational universities such as Butler, according to media reports.

Negotiations regarding the split are still ongoing and are likely to finish in the coming week, according to national media outlets.

THE MEDIA DEAL

A major incentive for Butler to join the new Big East is the Catholic 7 schools’ proposed television deal with FOX.

The media organization is planning to launch a new sports channel, FOX Sports 1, to replace the Speed Channel. The new network is set to debut Aug. 17.

According to an ESPN report, FOX has reportedly offered a 12-year, $500 million deal for television rights to the Catholic 7 schools’ athletic events.

Reports have the amount of money the seven Big East schools would earn ranging from $2 million to $5 million per year.

Butler and Xavier would split what is left over from the television deal after the Big East schools take their share. Regardless of what that amount is, they would end up making less money than the Big East schools.

A-10 schools earn approximately $440,000 per year in the conference’s current television deal.

MONEY

Most of the Big East’s negotiation has revolved around a $110 million reserve fund and determining how the money will be split among the 16 members.

The money comes from exit fees, tournament shares and conference reserve funds.

According to the AP, the Catholic 7 schools would receive $10 million of that to split among themselves, in addition to keeping the Big East name and the right to play conference tournament games at Madison Square Garden.

On the other side of the money ledger, Butler would be forced to pay a $2 million exit fee for not giving the A-10 at least 27 months’ notice before changing conferences, according to the AP. The fee would have been cut in half if Butler had given a year’s notice, according to Tom Eiser, Xavier’s associate athletic director for communication.

Butler’s 2011-2012 athletic budget of $14.7 million was less than half the athletic budget at St. John’s, Georgetown and Villanova.

TRAVEL

Butler would face, on average, slightly decreased travel distances and times with a move to the Big East.

According to Collegian calculations, Butler’s average trip in the A-10 is approximately 549 miles, straight from Indianapolis to the opponent’s home site. That number drops to 522 miles per trip with a move to the new Big East.

Not all of Butler’s athletic teams are able to take chartered flights like the basketball team, so that time on the road could become a reality for some squads.

A bus ride to Providence College would last longer than any trip Butler experiences within the A-10.

Providence is approximately 913 miles from Butler, or about a 14 and a half hour bus ride.

Still, it would not be much of a change from the school’s current longest trip, 895 miles to Rhode Island University.

Xavier in Cincinnati would still be Butler’s closest in-conference competition—assuming the Musketeers leave the A-10 as well—at 118 miles away. DePaul University in Chicago is about 184 miles from Butler, providing another reasonable drive for league action.

NEW COMPETITION

In general, Butler’s athletic teams faced tougher competition in the A-10 than the Horizon League. Despite this, many of the teams have had success.

The Catholic 7 schools offer a new slate of competition that is arguably even tougher than that of the A-10.

Georgetown and Marquette have both been ranked in men’s basketball this season. The bottom-tier Catholic 7 schools in men’s basketball have similar records to those in the bottom of the A-10.

The new conference would also offer multiple strong opponents in such sports as women’s cross country, women’s volleyball, men’s soccer and baseball.

ACADEMICS

A move to join the Catholic 7 would put Butler in a league with other well-performing and highly ranked institutions.

Butler, which is ranked No. 2 in the U.S. News and World Report’s Best in the Midwest list, would join the likes of Georgetown and Villanova—ranked 21st among national universities and first among regional universities in the North, respectively.

Butler has been ranked No. 2 for the past three years.

Butler would be the smallest school in the league by student enrollment.

The average student enrollment at the Catholic 7 schools is about 15,240, including both undergraduate and post-graduate students. Butler’s current enrollment is 4,771.
RECRUITING

Butler teams will, theoretically, be able to recruit athletes and students by having more conference contests in the East.

Plus, the chance to compete against well-known schools such as Georgetown, Villanova and Marquette could be a strong draw in Butler’s recruiting process.

TITLE IX

Butler could expand its athletics department if it went to the new league.

Currently, Butler funds 17 varsity sports. All of them are sponsored in the A-10—with the exceptions of football, which is in the Pioneer League, and women’s golf, which is in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

The new Big East could bring the potential of adding teams, both in terms of revenue and venues for competition.

The Big East sponsors 21 varsity sports, including field hockey, men’s and women’s lacrosse and women’s rowing.

Butler’s football team will most likely stay in the Pioneer League. Only two of the Catholic 7 schools have football teams in the Big East.

Butler used to have a men’s lacrosse team that competed at the Division I level from 1993 until it was cut in 2007, along with the men’s swimming team.

Collier made the decision in his first year as athletic director.  He said it was due to finances and not being able to properly fund 21 varsity sports with a “bottom-of-the-barrel financial aid budget.”

Because of Title IX, Butler did not cut any women’s programs.

The men’s lacrosse team continues to be a popular club sport at Butler.

The team plays in the Central Division of the Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association, and Butler employs head coach Kyle Mates.

The Big East would have four other men’s lacrosse programs with Providence, St. John’s, Georgetown and Villanova. Notre Dame also has a program if it chooses to stay in the Big East for an additional year before moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Even with potential changes, Butler has to be vigilant of Title IX restrictions and regulations.

Just this past year the athletics department came under review by the Office of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education.

Title IX requires the ratio of women in sports to be substantially proportionate to the undergraduate enrollment.

During the 2010-2011 school year, women made up nearly 60 percent of Butler’s full-time undergraduate students and only around 37 percent of athletes.

In September 2012, Beth Goetz, former associate athletics director for administration, said the department believed it was in compliance with Title IX.

“We believe we offer every sport in which there is an interest and ability on campus,” Goetz said.

She said that met one of the required exceptions of the legislation if the percentage was not proportionate.

Butler also has a women’s lacrosse club team, though it is not as popular as the men’s team.

The Big East would only have two remaining women’s lacrosse programs.

Butler might be able to add women’s scholarships or sports to be compliant with the Big East and Title IX.

BUILDING A LEAGUE FROM THE GROUND UP

One of the biggest differences in this speculated move for Butler is the foundation of what it’s joining.

The A-10 was an established league with a foundation for tournaments, scheduling and monetary issues.

While the Big East has been around for 34 years, Butler would essentially be helping to build an entirely new conference.

The league that is scheduled to begin on July 1 still needs to find a commissioner and league officials.

This becomes an issue when sports such as soccer and cross country start their seasons just a month after the league start date.

The conference will have established schools with rich athletic histories. Butler would be joining a group of experienced Division I schools.

The fact remains that there are still many uncertainties.

AS TALKS CONTINUE

Officials from the NCAA could not be reached for comment on Tuesday afternoon.

Officials from Georgetown and Providence declined to comment when contacted by The Collegian.

The Collegian did not receive a response as of press time from Villanova, DePaul, Seton Hall and St. John’s.

Big East negotiations are expected to be finalized tomorrow.

The Collegian will continue to update this story online as more information becomes available.

The Butler men’s basketball team fell short against Saint Louis Friday night, losing 65-61.

Junior guard Mike McCall Jr. led the Billikens (21-5, 10-2) with 18 points while junior forward Dwayne Evans added 17 points.

Sophomore forward Roosevelt Jones and senior guard Rotnei Clarke had 13 points each for the Bulldogs (22-6, 9-4).

Turnovers were an issue for Butler, who turned the ball over 14 times compared to Saint Louis’s four turnovers.

The Billikens were able to capitalize and scored 19 points off Butler turnovers.

Saint Louis’s shooters struggled early in the first half as they went more than five minutes without scoring, letting the Bulldogs take a 17-9 lead with 11:47 remaining in the half.

The Billikens also shot only 1 of 10 from behind the 3-point line in the first half.

Freshman guard Kellen Dunham led all first half scores with 14 points, going 2 of 3 from 3-point land and making all four of his free throw attempts.

Unfortunately for Butler, Dunham was held scoreless for the remainder of the game.

Saint Louis went on a key 19-7 run to start the second half as they pushed the lead to 48-41 with 13:27 to play.

The Billikens’ lead grew to as much as nine points before the Bulldogs got back into the game with key shots from Clarke.

Though Butler came within a point of Saint Louis with 3:32 to go in the game, they were unable to come away with the lead after having several chances to put them on top.

Free throw shooting did not come easily to either team as the Bulldogs shot 57.7 percent from the line while the Billikens shot 53.8 percent.

Coach Brad Stevens said Saint Louis’s early second half run was crucial to the game’s outcome.

“The start of the second half was the difference in the game, the first eight minutes or so,” Stevens said. “We stalled in the second half.”

Saint Louis dominated inside, outscoring Butler 38-14 in the paint.

Butler had previously lost on the road to the Billikens 75-58 on Jan. 31.

“To lose to a team twice, it hurts more than most,” Jones said.

Saint Louis remains in first place in the Atlantic 10 Conference standings at 10-2 in league play.

VCU is currently in second at 9-3 while Butler is in third at 9-4.

The Bulldogs are not back in action until Saturday, March 2 when they will take on the Rams of VCU in a road matchup.

Butler previously played VCU in the national semifinals of the 2011 Final Four.

The game will be nationally televised on ESPN at noon.

The Butler men’s basketball team moved to within a half game of first place in the Atlantic 10 Conference standings after beating Duquesne 68-49 Tuesday night.

Senior guard Rotnei Clarke finished with 16 points. Clarke has scored in double figures in each of the last eight games since his return from a neck injury suffered against Dayton on Jan. 12.

Junior forward Khyle Marshall added 14 points while freshman guard Kellen Dunham tallied 11 for the Bulldogs (22-5, 9-3).

“Khyle has always risen to the occasion as the season has progressed, and we are towards that latter part of the season,” coach Brad Stevens said. “And we’re going to need everybody to rise to that.”

Guard Derrick Colter was the only player in double digits, for Duquesne (8-18, 1-11) with 11 points. Jerry Jones and Jeremiah Jones each added nine.

The Dukes’ 49 points were the fewest allowed by Butler since it held Richmond to 47 on Jan. 18.

“I think collectively we’re guarding better,” Marshall said. “We held a great 3-point shooting team to only 49 points, so I think that’s a pretty big accomplishment on our part.”

Stevens said he was pleased with the team’s defensive effort.

“Our guys were locked in defensively,” Stevens said.

Sophomore Alex Barlow opened the game with a 3-pointer from the corner, and the Bulldogs never looked back. Butler never trailed in the game. Its biggest lead was 22 late in the second half.

It has been a little more than a month since Atlantic 10 conference play began in men’s basketball.

Each school has participated in nine games in conference play.

And yet we’re no closer to determining who the league’s top dog (no pun intended) is.

The four teams that will earn a first-round bye in the 12-team conference tournament are far from set in stone.

I’m going to take a look at the league’s top nine teams—based on in-conference record—and their upcoming schedules to determine which squad will take the No. 1 seed and which teams will round out the top four seeds in the A-10 tournament.

First and ninth place in the league standings are separated by two losses. With seven conference matchups remaining for each team, it’s not ridiculous to suggest the team currently sitting in ninth place could win the league.

Butler, Virginia Commonwealth and Saint Louis occupy the first three spots, each with 7-2 marks in A-10 play.

Positions four through six are held by a trio of 6-3 squads: Massachusetts, La Salle and Xavier.

The final three teams currently above .500 in league play are Charlotte, Temple and George Washington, all holding 5-4 records.

So which team has the fast track to the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, or at least a first-round bye via a top-four seed?

That would be the La Salle Explorers.

La Salle’s final seven foes have a combined record of 26-37, worst of the top nine teams.

The Explorers’ opponents are, on the whole, statistically weak in just about every offensive and defensive category.

But let’s get to what many of you probably want to know: How difficult is Butler’s road to the A-10 throne?

The Bulldogs’ opponents have combined for 33 victories against 30 losses in A-10 action this season.

Records don’t always tell the entire story though.

Butler will be facing some poor shooting squads down the road.

On the defensive end, it is a completely different story for Butler’s remaining foes.

The Bulldogs have the toughest slate of these nine squads when it comes to opponents’ overall rebounding.

Senior center Andrew Smith’s recent injury could not have come at a worse time, as he is the team’s second-best rebounder.

Butler has the third-most difficult schedule when it comes to opponents’ shooting defense. The Bulldogs will also deal with the fourth most difficult schedule as it pertains to 3-point shooting defense.

Statistically, Butler has the second-toughest final seven conference games of the teams listed above.

Still, I think it can attain the No. 1 seed in the A-10 tournament thanks to its early-season conference success, battle-tested nature and Brad Stevens’ coaching.

I will take VCU as the event’s No. 2 seed.

Statistically the Rams have just as challenging a remaining schedule as Butler, but adversity is something this former Final Four participant is familiar with.

Saint Louis has the toughest remaining A-10 run, facing seven teams with winning records.

I have a hard time slotting the Billikens in the No. 3 spot because of this.

Massachusetts is my sleeper pick with a middle-of-the-road remaining schedule. The Minutemen have been fairly consistent in A-10 action, so they are my current No. 3 seed.

For the No. 4 seed, it’s a toss-up between Saint Louis and La Salle.

The Explorers have a big mountain to climb being two losses behind Saint Louis.

Fittingly, the teams face off in their final game of the regular season. That could decide which team gets a bye in the A-10 tournament and which has to play right away.

These next four weeks should be a blast for A-10 fans across the nation.

While this may be Butler’s first year in the Atlantic 10 Conference, Blue II and Trip have already made a name for themselves on the East Coast with their Big Dawgs Tour.

Over the weekend, the Butler bulldogs headed to Washington D.C. with Michael Kaltenmark, director of web marketing communications and the dogs’ caregiver, to see the sights, cheer on their team, and meet with their mascot counterparts.

On Friday morning, Blue II and Trip were introduced to Georgetown’s bulldogs, Jack and Jack Jr.—also known as JJ.

The dogs hung out for about three and a half hours, and though Blue II and Trip were initially apprehensive of the Georgetown duo, they were able to get along, Kaltenmark said.

“There were a couple tense moments,” Kaltenmark said. “Jack and JJ were protecting their turf, but once we got them outside, they were fine.”

As the Butler dogs roamed around campus, they were continuously acknowledged and welcomed by the Georgetown community.

Continuing their journey through Washington D.C., the dogs visited the national mall to see the monuments and attended Butler’s game against George Washington University. While seeing the sights, the dogs were repeatedly recognized by the locals.

“When we would be out and about on the street, the D.C. residents knew who the dogs were. You expect to get that type of respect in Indianapolis,” Kaltenmark said. “In D.C., they knew that they were the Butler dogs, and this wasn’t just one time.”

Blue II and Trip also had the chance to visit the National Public Radio headquarters to be a part of its new campaign, “I Heart NPR.”

Along with famous musicians and actors also involved with the campaign, the dogs had a glamorous photo to show their support for NPR.

“These handsome devils were itching to show their NPR love,” wrote Caitlin Sanders in her campaign blog. “So excited, in fact, that they could barely sit still!”

At the game, as Blue II strutted around the court, George Washington fans were enthralled with Butler’s live mascots.

Many fans wanted to meet Blue II and get a picture. Blue II even had a famous fan eager to meet him.

Luke Russert, son of Tim Russert and an NBC news correspondent, jumped at the chance to get a picture with Blue II and even tweeted the picture.

This trip showed the national recognition that Blue II and Trip are beginning to gain.

“On one circumstance, yes, I am little bit surprised,” Kaltenmark said. “But once I see the pictures of the Butler bulldogs and the Georgetown bulldogs together, then it doesn’t surprise me that the outlets want it and the fans want to see them.”

The Big Dawgs Tour has taken Butler’s bulldog mascots to Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville, Dayton and Columbus, according to the tour’s webpage on www.butlerblue.com.

With the D.C. attention the dogs received, Kaltenmark is looking forward to taking Blue II and Trip to visit the Big Apple this weekend. Although it is a busy city, Blue II and Trip will likely be noticed.

The Butler baseball team is about to open its season and it will be the last go for 10 seniors.

In addition to gearing up for their last collegiate season, they are making sure those after them will have great facilities as they move forward.

“We talk about it all the time,” senior catcher Radley Haddad said. “Each class coming through Butler University is getting the best.”

Haddad said the facilities continue to improve because of the fundraising efforts put forth by the team each year.

These improvements have been happening for the last five years, Haddad said.

“We have one of the better facilities in Indiana at this point now,” Haddad said, “compared to a high school field or worse before I got here.”

Before the 2012 season, the team raised between $100,000 and $120,000, coach Steve Farley said.

That money was used for new dugouts, a new brick wall behind home plate, new backstop netting, a new patio seating area and new walkways, among other things.

“In order to get better as a team, we need better facilities,” senior first baseman Jimmy Risi said.

Risi said the team’s biggest effort comes from letter writing. Each player sends a letter and a flyer to 10 family members or friends asking for donations, and over the past few years that has been working well.

Farley did not have exact numbers for this year’s effort, but the biggest addition will be a new outfield fence and batter’s eye.

A navy blue fence will replace the old royal blue fence. The batter’s eye helps hitters see the ball better and will feature banners and Butler logos, Farley said.

“The old daycare center that’s out there in center field at Butler is kind of distracting,” Farley said. “The roof is kind of light colored, so we will cover it up.”

Farley said it would make the ballpark more attractive.

“I think it will give the ballpark a homier and closed feel,” Farley said.

The team opens its inaugural Atlantic 10 season next weekend with a non-conference series at Georgia State.

“I think we are all really excited for the switch to the Atlantic 10,” Risi said. “Coach Farley says it could be the toughest season we’ve ever had, but we’ve been working a lot harder in the weight room over the offseason than last year.”

The Bulldogs finished 22-34 overall last year and 10-20 in their final season in the Horizon League.

The A-10 is considered to be a step up in the competition, as writers have predicted Butler to finish 14th in the 15-team league.

“The scouting report is, be ready every weekend because everybody can beat you, and you can beat everyone too,” Farley said.

The predicted top four teams are Saint Louis, Rhode Island, VCU and Charlotte.

With the recent renovations, Farley expects Butler’s facilities to be around the middle to upper half of those at A-10 schools.

The Bulldogs play 10 road games before opening a three-game series at home against IPFW on March 8.

The Butler men’s basketball team hosts St. Bonaventure tonight at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

The Bonnies have an overall record of 10-10 and are 3-4 in Atlantic 10 Conference play.

St. Bonaventure won last year’s A-10 tournament, earning a berth in the NCAA tournament.

The Bonnies lost to Florida State 66-63 in the first round of the national tournament.

On Saturday evening, Butler beat Rhode Island 75-68 in front of a sold-out crowd of 10,000 at Hinkle.

The Bulldogs (18-4, 5-2) were led by senior guard Rotnei Clarke’s game-high 23 points.

The Rams (6-14, 1-6) pulled out to an early lead that held for the majority of the first half.

The Rams’ lead eventually began to evaporate, and a Clarke 3-pointer tied the game at 28 with 5:03 remaining in the first half.

Butler went on an 18-3 run in the first six minutes of the second half to grab a 48-35 advantage, the largest lead of the game for either team.

The Rams began to catch up late, creeping to within four points with 1:45 remaining in the game.

Butler had a 72-68 lead with 27 seconds remaining when Clarke was fouled. He made one of two foul shots to put the game away for the Bulldogs.

Junior forward Erik Fromm did not play and was not in attendance after his father, Len, died of cancer Saturday morning.

A moment of silence was observed before the game in memory of Len Fromm.

“I think what you learn is you don’t spend a lot of time on basketball,” coach Brad Stevens said of playing after learning of Len Fromm’s passing. “This is what happened. What can you do to be a supportive person?

“Let’s try to make each other proud with our effort even though it’s hard to really focus on that task.”